In this section: themickjaggercentre > The Brooking Collection themickjaggercentre    Mick Jagger at DGS   ROCK 'n ROLL AND STATE-OF-THE-ART TECHNOLOGY Most people know that Mick Jagger came from Dartford and that he is the most famous old boy of Dartford Grammar School, up there on the town's West Hill. The Mick Jagger Centre, built on the site of his old school, takes its name for just that reason but what most people don't know is that Mick and the Rolling Stones have played a major role in the development of music technologies now in use all around the world. This has had an impact of the way themickjaggercentre has been conceived and created.    Jagger, now and then   The Rolling Stones are the major Stadium rock act in the world today and indeed continue to break world records for the largest concert audiences. Their stature as successful artists has directly resulted in the development of new technologies over the years, particularly for their live concerts and specific systems have been designed for them. These include huge moving light shows, the most powerful sound systems, massive video projections, gargantuan inflatable figures, hydraulic staging systems, even infra-red communications systems.      The art gallery Click for more photos When it came to developing themickjaggercentre the finest cutting edge music technology was placed high on list of priorities to be incorporated. The centre was designed for and is made accessible to many community groups, schools, colleges and organisations of Dartford and the North Kent region for the development of interests in music and the performing arts. The centre houses two flexible theatre spaces, a recording studio, computer music suites, a large foyer with café/bar, an art gallery and rehearsal studios. The centre is brimming with the finest technology, some of which has its origins or concepts first developed in the Dartford area. Some of the most interesting technological developments within the centre take pride of place as the best available anywhere in the world.
	The centre's videowall   VIDEO WALL The centre boasts a 36 cube video wall, designed, developed and manufactured in Dartford by the worlds leading audio-visual display system creators, Electrosonic. The centre's installation is similar to many other ones found all around the world in leading venues and indeed similar in concept to the huge rigs used by the Rolling Stones on their massive world tours. The system is complemented by a video editing suite and digital cameras.
	INSTRUMENT AMPLIFICATION The centre has a full complement of instrument amplification. It is strongly rumoured that the legendary Vox AC30 guitar amplifier was first invented in Dartford some 40 odd years ago. This was the classic electric guitar amplifier that was popularised by the likes of The Rolling Stones, The Beatles and The Who in the 1960s. That ground-breaking technology is no longer built or developed in Dartford, but it is technology that helped shape rock music as we all know it today. The centre is equipped with excellent backline equipment for use by a wide range of musicians.
	Lighting   LIGHTING SYSTEMS To cover a wide range of applications the centre has been equipped with lots of performance lighting and yet again Dartford plays a direct role. The town's own electronic innovators, Electrosonic have provided a comprehensive dimming system for both of the venues with a total of over 100 channels. They deliver the power that lights the many varied lanterns including Par cans, Fresnels and Profile style lights. The control desks are state of the art computer based digital lighting boards, designed by Compulite, which control up to a thousand channels and cues for the most demanding productions.
	PA system   PROFESSIONAL SOUND REINFORCEMENT The centre's PA system, created by Martin Audio Systems is of the type that can be seen as part of major stadium shows by the Rolling Stones. The installation boasts up to 6 Kilo Watts of pure Rock & Roll power and is tuned to provide optimum sound quality across the audio spectrum. It is ideally suited to wide range of uses from the most demanding of classical music to the pure raw power of Rock & Roll.
	MIDI/COMPUTER MUSIC SYSTEMS This is where the centre comes into its own, boasting a suite of 12 audio workstations. The training facility is equipped with the finest state of the art computer music making equipment commonly associated with creating dance music. The facility is regularly used to teach a wider range of musical composition skills as well as the popular thumping dance music.
	Computerised music recording Click for more photos RECORDING STUDIO The recording studio complements the midi music suite with more digital state of the art recording equipment. The studio room has been wired or tie lined to all of the centres performance spaces, making high quality recordings possible from any of the spaces. The equipment allows some of the most sophisticated recordings to be created to a fully professional standard and provides unrivalled opportunities for this area.
	The 'open plan' ceiling Click for more photos THE BUILDING The building was conceived as a high quality environment for the performing arts to be enjoyed by audiences and artists alike. One of the initial design priorities was to create the best possible acoustics. ARUP, Europe's leading acoustic designers were given the task of creating a space suitable for Classical music through to Rock & Roll, resulting in a dramatic design solution that opened up the ceiling to create added mass as well as an exciting visual feature. The building's chosen award winning architects, Tim Ronalds Architects, have created a stunning and distinctive minimalist space that complements the original 1930s architecture. Included in that minimal 1930s feel are the dramatic contemporary curtains that surround that main performance space. They were designed by Petra Blaisse, a Dutch artist of international repute who has created many exciting theatre installations from New York to Paris. themickjaggercentre serves as an example of technical innovation, fitting proudly within the fine historical tradition of industrial Dartford. Next topic: The Brooking collection
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